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Balrog
The Balrog is unlike any other creature of Middle-Earth. Balrogs, also known as the Valaraukar, were Maiar that were seduced and corrupted by Melkor into his service. Only be 7 Balrogs can exist at one time and only one has ever served in Sauron's army. Balrogs generally took the form of a tall, menacing beings roughly in the shape of a Man, though seeming to consist or be surrounded by shadow. They used both a flaming sword, and a many thronged whip; and, were constantly burning, with all their weapons having appeared to be made of lava. Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs in the First Age, used a black axe as well. Balrogs induced great terror in friends and foes alike; many who faced Balrogs referred to them as monsters consisting purely of shadow and flame. The issue of Balrog wings has been long-debated in Tolkien circles. The use of "like wings" to describe the shadow around the Balrog is the epicenter of the discussion. It remains somewhat ambiguous whether they had wings, but the description of the shadow as stretching from "wall to wall" does not fit the scale of the Balrog in the book. The use of a simile also suggests that they did not have them; however, there is also a quote that states the Balrog's wings stretched from wall to wall, causing more confusion, as just a few lines earlier there was the aforementioned use of "like wings". Balrogs seemed to encapsulate and project power and terror, perhaps meant to be a dark shadow of the majesty that the Valar radiate. Additionally, Tolkien refers to Balrogs with "streaming fiery manes". Additionally, they may have been able to alter their body structures on occasion, as in the battle between Durin's Bane and Gandalf, when the Balrog fell into a body of water he shifted himself into something slimy. However, it is also possible that this alternate form was simply Gandalf using colorful language to describe what the Balrog was like after having its flame extinguished and being covered in water. It is also possible that, while the Balrog, like all other Ainur, could shift form, this was not a case of that. Powers and abilities Balrogs were exceptionally powerful creatures. Only seven Balrogs were required to drive away Ungoliant, a large monster powerful enough to devour consume the fruits of Telperion, which produced the light for billions of stars. A single Balrog, who became known as Durin's Bane, alone managed to drive the Dwarves of Moria from their ancient and supremely fortified nation-state, which was at the time the greatest kingdom of Dwarves that had ever been. It also contended with Gandalf, and shattered the side of a mountain with physical might alone. The Balrogs were considerably bodily agile, such that their passing is once described as a “tempest of fire”. Gothmog fought against and overcame Fëanor, an elf who was powerful enough to control the light of the two trees. He also spread chaos through the city of Gondolin, filled with elves of similar, though far lower, caliber. It was even thought to be at least somewhat comparable to Sauron during the first age. Gallery balrog_by_marchmellowz.jpg balrog in Shadow of War.jpg balrog Shadow of War.jpg Category:Lord of the Rings